Chapter 4 - Pearl

I wrap the robe tighter around me, the silk slipping against my skin like a lover's soft touch. Humming to myself, I sit at the vanity in my bedroom, reaching for the button on the mirror to turn on the lights that frame it.

Bright light floods the room as Aesha wanders in, perching herself on the edge of the couch in my dressing room, spooning Rocky Road ice cream straight from the tub.

My nose wrinkles as I grab the body lotion and turn, pouring some of the vanilla and tobacco-scented moisturizer on my legs. "Do you have to eat it straight out of the pint?"

Aesha takes her time licking the back of the spoon. "You're not about to abandon me for some guy tonight, are you? It's girls' night."

I roll my eyes, smoothing my hands down my legs, and rubbing the lotion into my damp skin. "I'm not going to ditch you for a guy. It's been forever since we had time to spend together. You're always off saving lives in the NICU while I'm here."

"You're here, dating rich men and making a fuck ton of money doing it." Aesha carves out several of the little almonds from the marshmallow swirl. "I don't think that's any less of a job. Someone has to put up with the people nobody else wants to be with."

Cackling, I stand and head into my closet, looking for the silk pajama set Noah gave me after the charity event. He was trying to ply me with gifts, and while it won't work, the little camisole and shorts are wonderful to slide into after a steamy shower.

I come back out of my closet wearing the deep plum set. "I keep thinking that Dad would be disappointed in me. I don't think this is the life he would ever want me to live."

"I think you're doing the best you can."

The picture I'm looking at is of me and my father from the day before he died. I had just turned fifteen and we were strolling through Rome before flying back home later that night.

He was shot and left for dead the next evening.

Aesha gets up and hands me the ice cream carton. "You need this more than I do right now. The anniversary is tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah." I shove the spoon into the chocolate, spooning some into my mouth. "Happy twenty-second birthday to me, I guess."

"We're going to have fun tonight. You don't have to go out. There won't be any playing arm candy to men. We're going to lounge on the sofa and have a movie night, and then you're going to spend the rest of the night having a fun time."

I follow her out of the dressing room and to the massive couch, flopping into it, trying to lose myself in the forest green cushions. "Nicolo called to wish me a happy birthday this morning."

"How's he doing today? I know he and Aaron were close."

"Good. Given the circumstances. I think he's been staying busy and trying not to think about what tomorrow will bring. I mean, I don't think he ever thought that he was going to spend a couple of years caring for me after his best friend died."

"Well, Nicolo did the best he could."

"I know." I stare out the wide windows at the sun setting outside, trying to hold back the tears burning behind my eyelashes. "I just wish that things were better in that year before the murder. Me and Dad were fighting so much, and I spent most of those days acting like a spoiled brat when I should've been trying to connect with him more."

"You were a teenager." Aesha sits down beside me, one arm looping over my shoulders. "You can't blame yourself for that."

"I don't know. We fought that morning about Italy, and then I went to school and didn't think about him again until I came home and found him dead." I shake her off and hand her the ice cream back, pulling my knees to my chest and holding them in place.

Aesha rubs my back, putting the carton on the table and reaching for the box of tissues there instead. "Here, dry the tears. We can feel as miserable as you want, but I'm not going to let you spend the rest of the night with horribly puffy eyes."

Laughing, I take the offering and dry my eyes. "Thank you for coming over tonight."

"Hon, I booked the day off tomorrow just so I could spend some time with you."

I lean into her, before hauling the cream blanket off the back of the couch. Aesha drapes it over us. She leans forward and snags the remote from the coffee table as my phone starts to buzz.

"No!" She grabs the phone from the cushion and holds it out of my reach. "It's your birthday and you're not working tonight. No way. I'm not letting it happen."

"It could be Nicolo."

Aesha groans but slaps the phone into my palm. "Fine, but if it's not, you need to lock that thing away."

"I agree. It's just going to be me and you until tomorrow night."

Sliding my thumb across the screen, I look down at the message, half-expecting one of my clients to be reaching out.

Instead, it's from an unknown number.

We're going to have some fun together.

I don't know who sent the message, but I don't have to wonder for long.

It's not Japan, but I promise you an enjoyable time. Friday night. Guerro's. 8pm.

Aesha snatches the phone from me. "That smile on your face is an I'm getting laid smile."

"I'm not going to get laid. It's just this guy I met at a party. He thinks that we're going to go out together."

"Hold on." Aesha kneels on the couch beside me, bouncing as she hands me back the cell. "This guy isn't another client. He just met you at a party and wants to go on another date with you. You have to go out with him. This could be the beginning of your love story."

"This isn't the start of any story. He just wants what he can't have. Same as any other guy."

There's no other message waiting for me on the phone. A small part of me wishes that there were, just to see if his interest in me lies beyond what he saw the other night.

I think it does.

After all, he doesn't know the real me. I wonder how he got my number. I wouldn't be surprised if he blackmailed Noah.

Maxim Orlov didn't come talk to me at the party thinking that I was a woman he could hire to spend time with him. A man of his caliber certainly doesn't need to pay a woman to be his companion . He would have several women on speed dial who would willingly and happily be his date, for free.

Instead, he came after me with a purpose. Not what it would cost to spend a night with me. So, what does he want?

I must have played my cards right, the wheels are in motion, and he's intrigued to get to know me or to sleep with me. Either way, a warm sensation runs through me, thinking of his muscular build that even his sleek tailored tux couldn't hide. He must be at least six foot three tall. His hazel eyes sparkled mischievously, and his gaze held me captivated with such intensity like I was the only person in the room.

He is a sinfully attractive man, and if I didn't know who he was, I could easily be swooned by his charm. But I know I must be careful around him; one wrong move and it could end horribly for me.

Aesha squeals and grabs me by the shoulders. "I'm so happy you might actually give a man a chance."

"I didn't say yes to the message yet."

"Are you going to?"

"I don't know."